By Brad Meltzer

Oliver and Charlie Caruso's working-class noses are pressed against the glass dividing the classes at a Manhattan bank that employs them as low-level drones. By the time we meet their sickly mother, we're primed for these novice thieves to make their move, and when they get a chance to nab millions of dollars being transferred from a dormant account, they do not disappoint.

Meltzer (The First Counsel) does, though. His account is plot-rich but character-poor. Step-by-step instructions for building offshore dummy corporations or wiretapping government vehicles, given mainly through clumsy exposition, are no substitute for storytelling zing. (Warner, $25.95)

Bottom Line: Not earning interest